16-Year-Old Attempts To Sail Solo Around The World

Jessica_Watson" target="new">Jessica Watson, 16, is an Australian sailor who is attempting to set a world record by being the youngest person to ever sail around the world solo. The Queensland resident left Sydney on October 18. From there, she will travel from Australia to New Zealand, Fiji to Kiribati, Chile to South Africa, and then back home to Australia, crossing the Equator along the way. Her journey, if she can complete it, will last eight months and cover 23,000 nautical miles. Not everyone is impressed by the young woman’s moxie, deeming it “ignorant to attempt such a feat, at such a tender age and with so little trans-ocean experience.” Meanwhile, Watson is blogging her adventure. Bon voyage, Jessica! [Jessica Watson]